Survey..................How'd you get your EB?

[oh2bnok]

When I was in the service at Foot Riley I started looking at the Jeep Cjs with the 304 engines. Then got on the Bronco trail and found a 74 in Manhattan KS. The young man was going into the NAvy so I went and looked at it and bought it. Fixed it a little bit and drove it around for about 5 years and decided it was either park it or do a ground up restore. Well I decided to park it, in OKla at the farm in the barn where it stayed for 5 years. A few years ago I decided to go retrieve it and get it fixed up. Well I got it all stripped down and back up to where I had to start on the body. I replied to and add in the paper for some parts and this guy that was selling the parts quietly said to me that I need to come over to his house and see what he had in his garage. So I did, he had a brand new Harley!! Anyway the other vehicle was a 75 Bronco. It had a Kentrol fiberglass tub, hood, fenders, doors, tailgate, inner fenders, grill, core support, windshield frame, door inserts, a complete fiberglass body. A new rebuilt Jasper 351, jet coat headers, performer manifold, 600cfm edelbrock w/ electric choke, caddy rear discs, front discs, steel brake lines, completely rebuilt fr/rr pumpkins, new axles/bearings etc., rebuilt trsnferr case, new drive shafts fr/rr, new rebuilt Jasper c4, Smittybuilt side steps, new duffs power brake set up, new Mallory distributor, Jacobs coil, 2-3 new lift from K bar S, New K bar S shocks/boots 8 of em. Adjustable link, Warm premium hubs, complete Dennis Carpenter rubber gasket sets, New LaCarro steering wheel, 84 Fiero seats (w speakers) rear seat, steel top, extra dash, koenig pto winch, smitty built roll cage, and numerous other new small parts. So I gave him the 5 grand and took it home. I am still working on it.
About 6 months later I responded to another add in the parper for a 77. So I went out and looked at it and he had some of the engine dismantled and the doors off and other slmall stuff. He had it in his garage and said he was moving and wanted to sell it. Had a pretty decent dark blue paint job on it with gold pinstrips, hood scoop, warn hubs, 33" MTR, lift kit, 410 gears, bucket seats, bikini top, soft top, hard top, headers, flowmaster exhaust, extra tailgate, door inserts, 6 pt roll bar, 351 w, carter 4 barrel, edelbrock manifold, new alternator, tuffy center console, chrome bumper, 23 gal rear tank, and still in the box new front and rear chrome smitty built tube bumpers. He said best offer and said the kid across the street offered him $1500.00 if no one else wanted it. So I gave him the 1500. and hauled it home. Thats my sons he drives it once in a while, but not to much as he is busy with college, so I get to drive it now and then.
The original 74 I bought out in Manhatter town is parted out and the body is being turned into a trailer. So one is in the driveway, and 1 1/2 in the garage and not extra room. It may be time ot take another trip to the farm.

 

[feitctaj]

I dont have a Bronco, I thought this was a Scout site. :-*

It IS really a Bronco,,,,,,, Just set your beer down!

 

[oh2bnok]

I dont have a Bronco, I thought this was a Scout site. :-*

I believe you.

 

[feitctaj]

Back in 66 , I watched a buddies dad bring one home from the dealer. Then he belonged to a club called "THunder Trucks " here in WA. I wanted that bad but for so long, all I heard was "NO".
So I looked for years, hated and still do hate the yellow front directionals, so that left me with the 66, 67, 68 models( too stupid to know thatI could change them), did not want the silly single master cyl, or the Econloline inside door handles, causeI have had a couple of Falcon Vans.
I*I had looked for years! in 86 I was drunk one Tuesday after noon up in Seattle, driving up Aurora ave, checking lots , There she was, Fresh paint inside and out.3k and one more happy drunk on I5 southbound in rush hour traffic.
Then that SOB with the 66 put a for sale sign in her %)

 

[Pa PITT]

Welcoms To Bronco Row

Well It All Started One Night When My Running Buddies 79 F150 Auto 460 That He Bought New And Only Had About 80000 Mile On It
...was Stolen And Took On A Joy Ride And Ran Into A Telephone Pole....so He Decided He Needed A 4x4 .so I'd Just Seen Or Read A Deal That Th Eb Are Now The Frist Truck To Hit The Top 10 Collectors List ...so I Said Eb..he Said Ok ..we Looked ..he Bought A 1966 That Was Really Staight And Had The 200 In The Back Apart...
No Problem We Can Do That ....my Big Mouth...he's Not A Mechanic..
So He Paid $1200.00 For His ..as We Worked On His He Needed Some Parts So We Stumbled On Another Old Bronco .we Picked It Up For
$250.00 Then Another One For $500.00 Then Someone Else Said Come Get This One Out Of My Yard For $100.00 This One Was The Steal Of The Year ..his Son Had Been Killed In It ...so He Wanted Rid Of It ...
It Came With A Complete Extra Dana 44 With P Trac...it Has Some Clean Parts On It Also ...
So After All This I Said Well Hell I Guess I Might As Well Build Me One ..about This Time I Found My 1972 For $500.00 Setting At A Repair Shop For 2 Years For A Brake Job The Mechanic Kept Telling The Owner It Wasn't Worth Fixing ....i Just Smiled And Agree'd

Mine Is A V8 W/355 Axles .3 Speed ...i Fixed The Brakes And Battery
And Drove It ...then Started To Work On It For Real....we Probley Worked About 2 Years On Each On And Of Course Their Never Finished....
................but It Keeps Me Out Of The Bars At Night....
.......................................papitt.................................

 

[DBrown]

well, I have always wanted an EB. I could just never get me hands on enough cash at one time to get one in good shape. so I started with an 84 BII, then I bought an 86 BII then I went to go Full Size(79) and got a super deal but the title fell short. so I cut that up and swapped everything into my 86 BII.

here is where the story takes a turn......I had a little boy about 5 1/2 mos ago so I realized a chopped BII with full width axles and floor pans at my waist was not a good idea to carry a baby around.

to make a long story short I started looking for another Full Sized Bronco and I was drulling on this site one night and I found one! drove 50 mi to check it out and I now have a 71 1/2 with.....(drum roll please) around $2000 in it. my first test drive shoud be in the next week or two. but all in all I have taken just about all of the drivetrain apart so it will be like a new truck right from the get go.

some people just don't know how it feels to finaly get something you have always wanted and then get the opertunity to have a unique project. but I guess just about every one here has that same feeling every time they look at there rig. I will still probably always play with BII's for the fact they are cheap and I can slam them into trees and not have to worry if I can find a part, but this is so much of a better project.

 

[SACHEM]

I must confess that I didn't fall in love with Early Broncos at first. I took my high school girlfreind to see a crappy movie called Mad Love. In it one of the charaters has a converible scout he wraps around a tree.

I saw that and I had to have that truck. I couldn't find a good scout and then I happened across a cream puff 75 Ranger for 4,000 grand. I had never noticed a bronco before and it made me forget all about those scouts.

I would ride my bike by it since I couldn't borrow mom's car all the time. The guys at the car lot got to know me and I was hired at a detailer, eventually told that if I could come up with 2 grand that bronco was mine, because the owner was getting out of the used car game. I peddled home but my parents didn't want me to get something I'd have to work on all the time. This bronco was my first lost love

I ended up with a chevy Beretta, which was ok but not a Bronco or even a Ford.

I spent the next few years working for peanuts at the local scout camp. I saved my money and foolishly bought the first Bronco i found. It was a 73 with lots of bondo a straight 6 and a 3 spd. Sadly, I never even drove this on the street because I found my 74.

The 74 belonged to a guy who was around 30 who had a stoke. His Dad sold it cheap and I drove it home. i paid $1,500 for it. I now know I got hosed but I got a 74 with a worn 302, cracked bell housing, good c4 and PS. It also sported faux fur interior atems and airshocks.

Well, nearly 30 grand later I have a Bronco that is too nice to wheel so I bought a friends 75 wheeler. It needs some work but came with EFI 5.0, rebuilt tranny, Agr steering, PDB's, twin sticks with terra lows, detroit and new rires and a kick ass cage.

I don't have much time to wheel it but I intend to. I just gotta get a new job.

 

[popsbronco]

I loved these broncos from an early age! My POP (granfather) own two ,fond memories.
As i grew older i wanted one, but i then lived in the rust belt of the world Newfoundland.Not only do they use and have to use Salt on the roads its right by the ocean DOUBLE wammy.

So to the point!
I was out walking with my girlfriend.All of a sudden i spotted the Bronco looked pretty good in the dark.It was Red with a white top.
I asked the guy if he would sell.No he politely reply.I kept my eye on the bronco which had not been licence since 1996.it was now 2002 so fro the next three years i kept asking.
My percistance paid off .In april 2004 i drove it home yes it has /had issue but i knew that before i bought it.
It was love at first site and a knew she be mine sooner or later!
It took about a year to get popsbronco road worthy and its along wat from done and probally will never be really DONE!
Bronco owner understand what i mean.
I think the guy shed a tear when i drove it away.He said to me hiis wife love the Bronco and was sad to see it go!

 

[bronco977]

I was a Boy Scout Scoutmaster for 15+ years, and my Bronco led the way on almost all of our monthly camping trips.

When I took the position, I met with the former Scoutmaster. He had 2 old Broncos in his back yard. Both had been wrecked by his son. Together, they swapped parts until they had one Bronco reasonably complete. Thats wherethey lost interest, and the EB sat for the next 8 years.
I saw it and was intrigued. I'd never owned a 4x4 of any kind before, but I was really into Mustangs. I looked at the Bronco as kind of 'Stang on steroids...
I offered $400 and he accepted it. I pushed the accumulated trash out of the back, put a new battery in, and poured in some gas. She fired right up and I drove it home. It was my family's only transportation for several years and she NEVER let us down.

I just did basic maintenance over the next 16 years, and she still looked as rough as the day I drove it out of Morgan's back yard. My son always wanted it, however. When he was badly wounded in Iraq, I promised to give it to him. I kept my promise- and together we have spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars fixing the old girl up.

 

[jim71]

I have thought EBs were the coolest ever since my Dad took us kids wheeling in his when we were just wee. I remember a few hunting trips and some backcountry excursions, and remember my first driving experience behind that wheel (low range and four wheel drive inspires confidence) on an overgrown trail. I drove an 88 'Stang for a while but wanted a pickup pretty bad so I bought a Ranger with plans for many upgrades, but when I heard from one of my father's friends that there was a Bronco that had been flipped in a low-speed rollover, Dad and I travelled across the province to check it out. It was in need of sheetmetal attention and a tire or two but otherwise ready to roll. The seller even had a bunch of extra buckets of spare Bronco parts. We returned with trailer, loaded up, paid up, and I kept an eye on the windshieldless prize all the way home. Of course, what does Dad find in the papers a few months later? A Bronco ad. We go check it out just to see, cuz we may find some useful replacement parts at the least and maybe a nice-shape Bronc at best. Two days later we return with trailer and money and I have two Broncos. I am officially addicted. But then brother gets bitten by the bug! Solution? Sell brother the first Bronco and let him work on it. Safety new Bronco and drive.

 

[Broncorm]

I got mine from an old girlfriend. Her and one of her friend decide to take the summer off and driver wrangler(band new at the time) across the country. The Wrangler had a few mechanical problems along the way. once in Cal. they decided to stay a little long then plan. Two months. The Wrangler was still having problem so she thought she would sell it and get something cheaper and solve the cash flow dilemma. She knew I always loved Eb's and her being in southern Cal. there were a lot around. So she decides a bronco is what she will purchase to continue they trip home to CT. After looking at a dozen or so decides on a 72. So these two girls leave Cal in their new 72 bronco with manual steering with a small aftermarket steering wheel and manual 4 wheel drums. They made it up to Oregon when the starter went and the auxiliary tank started leaking. They found someone to take care of those problems and set out again. Now they made it all the way to Illinois before a connecting rod bolt broke. Out of money again I Western Union them money to put it on a Uhaul and trailer it the rest of the way. And to finish the trip the Uhaul broke down in Ohio during the night and they had to wait for them to come bring another one.
That was about 12 years ago. That girlfriend is long since gone but the Bronco has been totally restored and will continue to own it for a long time to come.
Ron

 

[broncolover199]

how I found my old eb

well it all started when i was a kid my neighbor had a brown bronco ranger that was in perfect condition that was a daily driver, well then he got a dodge and parked it ever since, I loved this little truck, and wanted to possibly purchase it and fix it up, keep in mind it has been sitting in the road for 10 years and the road has been paved over twice, when I was 15 I went up to talk to him, he said he wouldn't give it away for less than $5000 i thought that was the neatest truck and wanted to find another one like it, so i continued my searches for about a year and found a 73 in bloomsburg pa. so my dad and I took the 3 1/2 hour ride up to see it and we loved it, it was in rough shape, but we thought it was fixable so, the next weekend we went to drive it home, I was behind my father in his truck when all of the sudden the truck stops dead in its tracks, and we found out that a rebuilt engine in bloomsburg means they just replace all of the bad gaskets so we loaded her up on a flat bed took her home and have been working on her ever since, it has been the best father son project and has taught my dad and I so much, now I'm 17, the bronco is 32 and she is almost ready to go on the road. ;D

 

[donr101395]

I bought mine in 93 after I broke my wrist and couldn't ride my motorcycle which was my only transportation. I paid $2000 brought it home and was met by my wife telling me what a piece of junk it was. I waited 2 weeks to register it, while I comptenplated re-selling it to keep the peace. Finally I regstered it and it became my daily driver. Blew the "rebuilt" engine the guy I bought it from advertised while sitting in my driveway the first year. After putting the 351 in I never looked back. It's been my daily driver since 93 and has made several trips from FL to Michigan, Virginia, Ohio. The wife still hates it, but she has also seen the stress relief I get from tinkering, rebuilding, upgrading and playing with it. It ain't much on looks, but always seems to get the compliments.


Don

 

[904Bronco]

I had driven many 4x4 rigs, 75 Landcruiser, 81 Toyota p/u truck, 79 Bronco, 90 F150, 96 Toyota T100, 77 Landcruiser, But I have always been a Ford guy. I had put allot of time and $$$ in my 77 Landcruiser, then I had kids...
It sat for a while and I tried selling it but no one would give me my asking price. Very few people understand how much time and money can be put into a rig and how much they can save by buying something already done. A year went buy and the phone rang, it was the owner of a local LC shop. A customer, who had looked at mine a year ago, had brought in a stock rig he bought in Arizona. He wanted a complete build up and was set back by the price. He had thought about mine and wanted to see if it was for sale? 20k latter it was his and my garage was empty. I had always wanted an EB and I started looking. I finally found one on Ebay, which "looked" done. I spent 13K to get it and to have it delivered to CA from the Great state of Texas. Well 50 some pictures do not always tell the whole story... It had brand new tires and rims, recovered stock seats, rino-lined tub, 2000 explorer motor with a carb, a C6 trans, and a great paint job. Well it has been three years and the drivetrain and suspension are new. EFI motor, AOD, Centex wiring harness, Frt disc brakes, Hanson Frt bumper, BC broncos and WH suspension parts, Mustang seats, and a new roll bar, I think I am almost done. (If there is such a thing) My kids, who are now 3 and 5, have watched me go throught it and have helped "Daddy fix the bronco" Soon I will have a new back seat, one that provides a little better protection, and we will get out on and off the road.

Doug

 

[BRussell]

;D I GOT LUCKY ;D . I posted an ad on JBG that I was looking for an EB and that I had a Arctic Cat 4-wheeler to trade for it. A guy emailed me a few weeks later from Virginia and said that he had a 71 that had no rust, new paint, rebuilt engine, disc brakes, and that it had a mild body off resto. I didn't email him back because I figured he wanted my A.Cat plus money. He emailed me twice more so I called him. He said that he would trade me even so I loaded up the A.Cat and drove 3 hours to Bristol VA. He loved my A.Cat and his Bronco was in great shape. Well I handed him the keys and put the Bronco on my trailer and the rest is history. The funny thing is that I still have another A.Cat just like the one I traded sitting in the garage.

ANYBODY WANT TO TRADE A NICE EB FOR A 2000 A.CAT 500 4x4 ?

 

[Mark]

I loved early broncos before I knew what they were! There are not many where I live. I saw one one day in the early '90's - I didn't realize what it was. All I could tell people is that I wanted what looked to me like a "BIG J**p - but it's not a J**p". I saw an ad in the local paper for a '77 Bronco in August '95 - and I had a hunch this was the object of my desire.
I went to see it. Loved it immediately! This is it! He was asking $1,600 I offered 1,200 and he took it.
All Mine.
My Obsession began...

It was VERY rusty. I didn't care. I remember I filled up with gas both tanks on the way home and the next morning the auxillary was laying on the ground being held up only by the filler neck! Lucky I was it didn't happen while driving!
Since the support straps for the aux. tank gave out after my drive home, my first "fix job" was to replace these and secure the tank back in place. I used angle iron. I mentioned it was very rusty. The door hinges were welded on. The door posts were almost rusted away - the door hinges were welded on. When I was working on the tank and inspecting the underneath, flakes of rust scale would fall continuously right in my face and eyes. I right away started having thoughts about body-off, frame-up restoration-modification.
I have to say at this point that when I bought the '77, everything was orignal (I didn't have to fix any previous-owner screwarounds) - even the shocks were the original ones put on in 1977. Oh my Lord! With the hardtop on that Bronco was downright scary to drive on a windy day. It was all over the road!
This was '95 and the internet wasn't the presence in our lives like it is now. So I had to find a source for parts. I bought an offroad magazine and found a few Bronco houses. I called and ordered all their catalogs - Wild Horses, KbarS, Jeff's, Tom's, etc..., I scoured through them when I received them - so much good information!
I bought a Kayline softtop and Smittybuilt rollcage from KbarS. They were the first catalog in my mail. I needed a softtop for winter - didn't like the primered hardtop - plus it handled horribly with the hard top. And door inserts and softdoors - since the door posts weren't supporting the doors properly. The rollcage is a very important safety feature.
I had no garage at the time- 1995 - I lived in a rented apartment. It was difficult laying in the cold snow working on it. The neighbors thought I was crazy. In March I joined what would change my Bronco perspective. It was the EBML (Early Bronco Mailing List). My GOD! there are other nuts just like me! There were less than 100 members at the time. Such topics I had never encountered, and learned enormously. What a wealth of information! I lived vicariously. The next year I was house hunting because I wanted to start my restoration process. The primary requirement was a two car garage. I bought one and parked my '77 EB in the summer of 1996, and it hasn't been out of the garage yet . So much has happened in my life since then that I have only been able to pick at it.
I got married, we had a son, I started my own business, I built a new house. I was VERY envious of all the list members just being able to drive their Broncos. Finally, in November 2002 I bought a decent '74 ranger with a new 302 that I drive everyday for my Bronco Fix.

 

[Debs70]

We made a deal for some fab work - the deal was to get every part required to assemble a running EB in exchange for various fab work - cage modifications, engine cage w/coilover mounts and many other bend/weld stuff. We now have pretty much all the parts sitting in the side yard and are working on cleaning up the frame - cutting all the "extra" brackets off that have been added over the years - the body is pretty much in good shape and has been stripped down to bare metal and is primed. The C4 trans has been gone through and the engine will soon be finished.
This is a long-term project however and it would certainly been a lot easier to just purchase a running Bronco!

 

[Mr Joe]

Back in '83, I saw a nice EB in my travels and after looking decided that it would be the perfect truck for wheeling.
I was discussing it with my father and he mentioned his neighbor had one. I drove by and it was perfect. The guy laughed when I offered to buy it.
I ended up getting several different rigs through the years...Ranger, '90 Bronco, Ram, etc. Everyone thought I was nuts for spending a lot of cash modifying my daily drivers for wheeling. Dad had always said I needed a designated wheeler.
Years went by and I had a little extra $$. Dad suggested asking his neighbor again. He was up in age (80's) and may have a change of heart. To my surprise he said he'd sell it!! The EB had sat for years 350 miles away in the mountains. I asked my father to give me a quick rundown on the condition. I then inquired about price. The guy said $2500. I said yes and the journey began.

Here's a few pics of my first days with the EB.....It needed/needs a lot of work. It needed wheel cylinders, alternator, regulator, carb and battery just to get it moving.

 

[kevin73]

Drinking Accident

There I was... We were about a case of beer into various deep topics in my buddy's neighbor's driveway when someone needed to pee. The neighbor (now a friend) opened his garage and there it was, on blocks in all it's dusty beauty. A 73 with a marginal paint job (top too) all blue and not too much rust with junk piled in and all around it. Seems he had been meaning to restore it for about 10 years and had other priorities. A little more beer revealed he wanted his garage back and I (in love by then) wanted the Bronco. $2000, installation of the included J.C. Whitney dual exaust, and purchase and installation of a water pump later, I was on the road. Since then I have done enough to keep it on the road but I love driving it so much I can't bear to take it off the road long enough to do all the restore\upgrade work I really want to do (maybe this winter, the top and doors are a lot of work to put on and it gets cold here).

 

[knotcops]

My wife (and I) inherited the Stroppe from her father in 2000. Realizing that we probably shouldn't use it for 4 wheeling because of the condition (A+), I started a hard target search for a suitable Bronco for restoration and wheeling. 3 trips to L.A., one trip to Minnisotta, had a friends mechanic check one out in Oklahoma and endless emails and phone calls, I finally bought one out of Sacramento CA. Price tag, $8500 and that does not include the airfare, fuel and endless harassment from my wife. Was it worth that, yeap! Totally rust free and about as original as you can get. ;D